Tablet dispenser



Feb. 26, 1963 R. CLARK ETAL. 3,079,051 TABLET DISPENSER Filed May 26,1958 7? /)'2 Va 233))? hind 72 r HermcI/z EKG/59rd).

ilnited tates 3,79,5l Patented Feb. 26, I963 Fice 3,79,tl51 TABLETDEPENSER Roland R. Clark, Rockford, and Herman D. Kaiser, In, Belvidere,ilk, assignors to Medical Supply Cempany, Rockford, Ill, a corporationor Eliineis Filed May 26, 195$, der. No. 737,589 7 Claims. (Cl. 222-637)The present invention relates to dispensers and more specifically onefor delivering tablet-like articles, such as aspirin or salt tablets.

While tablet dispensers are well known and used in large numbers, theyhave long been subject to several serious objections. For example,tablets stored in the dispensing container or magazine are usually toomuch exposed to the atmosphere continually, thereby allowing moistureand impurities to enter, causing the stored tablets to adhere togetherand to distintegrate and deteriorate generally. Furthermore, in alldispensers the tablet capacity was invariably fixed and no thought wasever given evidently to getting around that objection.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a tablet orcapsule dispenser so designed and constructed to keep the tabletcontainer sealed against outside contamination, even during the tabletdispensing operation.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a dispensingdevice wherein the capacity of the tablet container may be readily andconveniently increased by building up on the outer end of an existingone, without spoiling its appearance.

Still another object is to provide an improved tablet dispensingapparatus designed for dispensing tablets in a rapid and efiicientmanner and which is of simple and economical molded plastic constructionthroughout, so economical, in fact, that the dispenser is intended to besold as part of a package deal with the onequantity of tablets anddiscarded and replaced with another full dispenser when the last tablethas been dispensed.

Another object is to provide a dispenser for dispensing tablets that iscertain of always dispensing only one at a time and without any dangerof crushing tablets, regardless of the amount of tablets in thedispenser.

More specifically stated, the dispenser comprises a tablet-storingcontainer or magazine preferably molded of a thermosplastic material,and adapted to be enlarged by adding an extension heat-sealed onto theouter end from which the end wall has been punched out, the outer endportion of the containers being annularly shouldered to provide a seatfor wedging heat-sealed engagement thereon of the extension.

Disposed below the table-t container and connected thereto is adispensing mechanism of improved design operable to dispense tabletsfrom the container one at a time. This dispensing mechanism comprises aported stator plate, an upper ported rotor plate providing an air-tightseal on top of the stator, and a lower ported rotor plate providing anair-tight seal on the bottom of the stator. These three plates, whichare all of molded plastic construction, in addition to forming thetablet dispensing mechanism, form an air-tight slide valve mechanismwhich effectively seals oil communication between the inside of thetablet container and the atmosphere, even during the dispensing oftablets. The stator and two rotors are hollowed out for greater economyof manufacture, but also for these additional reasons:

(1) the rotor parts are thereby provided with narrow, circumferentiallyextending, fla-t seating surfaces for better sealing engagement on thestator;

(2) the stator is of two-piece construction, consisting of a hollow diskset in a circular recess provided therefor in the supporting bracket,and thus a flat seat is provided on top of the inserted disk for theupper rotor, and another flat seat is defined on the bottom of thebracket under the depression for the lower rotor, and experience hasshown that with this construction really flat seats are obtainable,which is so important for a good sealing action;

(3) the hollowness of the upper rotor makes it possible to depress thetop thereof at the center hub so that'the stem on the lower rotor, whichenters the hub and is fastened thereto by a headed pin, cemented inplace in an axial hole in the end of the stem, is drawn upwardly to seatthe lower rotor more tightly on the lower seat while the upper rotor isheld down on the upper seat with the same yielding pressure to give amuch more dependable sealing action, without adding any complications tothe construction, the resilience or spring action obtained beinginherent in the plastic material, and

(4) the stator disk, which also is hollowed out on its under side, likethe upper rotor, is pressed firmly against the bottom of its supportingrecess in the bracket by the downward pressure of the upper rotorthereon, so that there is no air leakage through the bottom of thedispenser, despite the use of two parts instead of one in the stator.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view, half in vertical section, of a tablet dispensermade in accordance with our invention, showing, in phantom, how thethermoplastic tablet container is adapted to be built-up to a largercapacity;

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the dispenser;

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the upper rotor taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the lower rotor taken on line 44 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the stator taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the recessed central portion of the supportingbracket, with stator disk removed, taken also on line 5-5 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a section on line 77 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a section on line 88 of FIG. 4;

'FIG. 9 is a sectional detail of the heat-sealed joint between the lowerand upper sections of a tablet container enlarged in capacity as hereincontemplated;

FIG. 10 is a detail on line 1tl-ltl of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 11 is an isolated side view of the tablet deflecting blade shown intop plan in FIG. 10.

The same reference numerals are applied to corresponding partsthroughout the views.

The tablet container or magazine indicated at 1% is adapted to receivetablets such as aspirin or salt tablets. It is often necessary to supplydispensers with different capacity containers or magazines. Therefore,this container 10 is especially designed to facilitate enlargementthereof by building onto the outer end of an existing container. Thus,the tapered cup-shaped container 10, which is rectangular incross-section, has a recessed annular shoulder portion 11 on its upperend 12. A second tapered cup-shaped rectangular container 13 is providedhaving the open end 14 thereof of dimensions fitting snugly around therecessed shoulder portion 11 of container 16 thereby presenting a nearlyflush surface to the two tablet containers 0 and 13 in interfittedrelationship when viewed from the exterior. The containers 10 and 13 arepreferably both molded of nylon or other thermoplastic material and ispreferably, although not necessarily, transparent. When-twocontainersare to be utilized in stacked relationship, as illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 8, the top 12 of container 10 :is punched out and the twocontainers 1% and :13 are heat-sealed together into one unitaryconstruction, as seen at 15 in FIG. 9. It is thus apparent that eithercontainer 10 alone may be utilized in conjunction with the dispenser 16or the two-in-one container 10-43 may be utilized, therebyproviding alarger capacity container. Additionally, container 13 may have arecessed shoulder ,portion '17 on its upper end 18 for the possibleaddition of a third container, if so desired. Containers 10 and 13 aresubstantially rectangular in horizontal section, and the upwardlyprojecting rim 19 on the dispenser 16 is also of rectangular form andhas an antnular shoulder 20 thereon on which the container 10 issuitably wedgingly engaged and cemented for an airtight connection.

Dispenser 16 comprises a molded plastic supporting bracket 21 having adepending vertical back flange 22. The latter has vertical slots 22 forthe insertion of screws 'or bolts so that this dispenser may be securedto any suitable support or to a wall (not illustrated). Bracket 21 isdished and in the dished center is defined a circular recess 23 with avertical rib 23 on one side thereof for close reception of a circularstator disk :24, having a flat smooth top surface in parallel relationto the smooth fiat bottom surface on the bracket, the downwardlyinclined marginal portion 25 in the top of the bracket forming a :sortof tunnel to direct the salt or aspirin tablets 'tobe dispensed towardthe top ofthe upper ro'tor disk26. A small notch .24 in 'one side of thestator disk 24 receives rib 23 to hold the disk against turning. v Therotor 26 has a'flat bottom surface 27 which seats with an air-tight fiton the flat top of stator 24, and has a D-hole 28 in the center, and acircular tablet hole 29 in radially spaced relation "thereto. Tabletagitator projections 26' are provided on the top of rotor 26. A lowerrotor plate 38, which has a fiat top surface 31 seating with anair-tight fit on fiat bottom of bracket 21 under stator 24, has ana'xial cylindrical stem or shaft 32 which fits closely in a center hole33 in the recessed portion 23 of bracket 21 and registering center hole33' in stator 24 and includes a D-section upper end portion 34 having aclose fit in the correspondingly D-shaped center hole 28 provided inupper rotor plate 26. A hole 35 is also provided in lower rotor plate inradially spaced relation -to the axial "stem 32 for register with "aport 36 in the recessed portion 23 of bracket 21 and registering port36' in stator 24 so as to allow dropping a tablet previously depositedin port 36 when the handle portion 37' defined by the vert'cal ribbedflange on the periphery of lower rotor plate 30 is turned to a positionbringing hole 35 in register with said port. Hole 29 in the upper rotorplate 26 is disposed in the same radially spaced relationship to stem32'to register with port 36, but is in diametrically opposed relation tohole 35,,as seen in FIG. 2, so that the inside of the dispenser isnever'open to the outside atmosphere, regardless of which of saidopenings '29 and 35 is in register with port-36 at any given time. Thestator port 36 is preferably slightly larger indiameter than thetablets-to be dispensed, and hole .35 in the lower rotor plate 30 is atrifle larger than that. Arcuate ramps 37 and 38 may be provided onopposite sides of port 36' in stator disk 2.4

to guide a conventional circular aspirin or salt tablet into the statorport 36 from the hole 29 in the upper rotor plate in the turning thereofin either direction. The arcuate ramps 37 and 38 are relatively smoothand oppositely inclined downwardly toward ports 36 and 36. To make forflexibility and reduce frictional resistance to turning of rotor plates26 and 30, they are both recessed on their seating faces, as bestappears in FIGS. 3, 4, 7 and 8, only the flat bottom 27 of a narrowcircular peripheral flange 39 on rotor 26 contacting the flat topsurface of stator 24, and only the flat top 31 of a narrow circularperipheral rim 40 on rotor 30 contacting the flat bottom surface ofbracket 21. A circular neck 41 is cast integral with rotor 26 and flange39 to define hole 29, and the lower end of this neck is in coplanarrelation with the bottom edge 27 of flange 39. Likewise, a shortercircular neck 42 is cast integral with rotor 36 and rim 49 to definehole 35 and the upper end of this neck is in coplanar relation with theupper edge 31 of rim 40. The recessing of the upper face of rotor 30 isso slight that there is no danger of a salt or aspirin tablet in port 36being damaged by riding up out of the shallow recess over the edge ofneck 42.

Stator disk 24 and rotors 26 and 30 are (like bracket 21) all molded ofnylon or other similarly suitable plastic material. The stem 32, whichhas an axial hole 43 pro-1 vided in its upper end, is a little short inrelation to the dimension from the flat bottom of bracket 21 to thecenter of the dome-shaped top of rotor 26, so that the top wall of thelatter has to be depressed to bring it flush with the flat top of thestem 32. Hence, when the parts are secured together by means of a headedpin 44 with cement on its shank, the pin being pressed home in hole 43,the head of the pin 44 holds the depressed top wall of the .rotor 26 inits depressed condition and the rotors 26 and 30 are urged resilientlytoward one another under light spring pressure, for a good seatingaction and stator disk 24 is also held in place in its supporting recess23 in bracket 21 under the same pressure to prevent air leakage.

A relatively resilient flexible baflile blade 45, which is also moldedof nylon or the like, is provided disposed horizontally above and inclosely spaced relationship to the top rotor 26, keyed securely to thebracket 21 and located immediately overlying the stator ports 36-36'.Blade 45 has an upwardly bent normally arched attaching portion 46, anda T-shaped slot 47 is provided in one side of the recessed top portionof bracket 21 in which portion '46 is pressed with a close friction fitand suitably cemented in place.

The operation of the dispenser is as follows:

The container 10 is filled with the salt or aspirin tablets or capsulesto be dispensed and then applied over the dispensing mechanism 16 andsecured thereto by wedging engagement on flange 19 and cementedpermanently in place, inasmuch as the dispenser is discarded whenemptied. It is understood that any articles comparable with antasprintablet may be dispensed by this dispenser, provided they are ofsubstantially uniform size and shape. When it is desired to dispense atablet, the lower rotor 30 is turned by hand, using handle portion 37',thereby turning the upper rotor 26 by means of connecting stem 32. Asthe upper rotor 26 turns, the upper hole 29, into which a tablet hasfound its way, willregister with stator ports 3636. Accordingly, thetablet will be deposited by gravity in stator port 36. Either one of theramps 37 or 38 leading into statorport 36 will help in the smoothtransfer of the tabletfrom hole 29 to port'36, depending on thedirection the handle 37' is turned, but the tablet cannot be'dispensedbecause lower rotor 30 closes the bottom of port 36. It is only whenhole 35 is moved into register with port 36 that the tabletis dropped.The flexible blade 45 overlying the stator port 36 will yield a triflein the event a'tablet'happensto lie askewin upper hole 29 at the pointof registering with stator port '36, thereby insuring smoother operationand reducing likelihood of tablet breakage, besides blocking hole 29against entry of another tablet until the rotor 26 is turned enough tobring hole 29 out of register with port 36. For each tablet dispensed,the handle 37 is usually turned a half-turn one way to deposit thetablet in port 36, and then turned a half-turn the opposite way to dropthe tablet. Of course, a full turn in one direction will accomplish thesame results. While we have not shown it, we prefer to provide an indexmark on the bracket and a corresponding index mark on rotor 30, which,when in register with the first mark will serve to indicate to theoperator the point in the turning of handle 37 where hole 35 registerswith port 36 36' for droppage of a tablet.

It is apparent, therefore, that the upper and lower rotors 26 and 30 actas slide valves. The upper rotor 26 opens the stator port 36 to theinside of the dispenser when the hole 35 in lower rotor 30 is 180 away,and then port 36 is opened to the atmosphere only when it is definitelyclosed to the inside of the dispenser by upper rotor 26 having its hole29 180 away. The projections 26 agitate the tablets above the upperrotor 26 enough to reduce likelihood of the dispenser being everoperated without dispensing a tablet. These projections 26' are locatedso as to clear the baffle 45.

The advantages of the dispenser will be obvious from the foregoingdescription. The lower rotor 30 may be rotated by handle 37' in eitherdirection to dispense a tablet. This is important in that one is just asapt to turn it one way as the other. The ease with which a dispenser maybe changed in capacity should also be evident from the foregoingdescription.

It should be apparent that the new dispenser is efficient in operationand attractive in appearance. The container or magazine 10, if notcemented in place, can be removed for refilling and replaced without theuse of any tools and without in any way defacing the dispenser. Also,while the present dispenser dispenses tablets free, it should, ofcourse, be obvious that a coin slide mechanism could be added, so thatthe dispenser could not be operated for droppage of a tablet withoutpayment of a predetermined amount first. Also, while we have disclosed anonrefillable dispenser intended to be discarded when emptied, it will,of course, be understood that our invention is not limited to thatspecific kind.

It is believed the foregoing description conveys a good understanding ofthe objects and advantages of our invention. The appended claims havebeen drawn to cover all legitimate modifications and adaptations.

We claim:

1. In a tablet dispenser, the combination of a ported horizontal stator,upper and lower horizontal rotors seated on the top and bottom of thestator, respectively, and having ports which in certain positions of therotors register with a port in the stator, the top rotor being hollowand having a yieldable resilient top wall with a peripheral edge portionprojecting therefrom and slidably engaging the upper surface of thestator, and a shaft fixed with respect to and extending upwardly fromthe center of the lower rotor through a hole provided in the stator andinto a center hole provided in the top wall of the upper rotor andvertically immovably secured to the latter with the central portion ofsaid top wall depressed so as to urge the peripheral edge portion of sad upper rotor downwardly toward the lower rotor resiliently into closesealing contact with the stator.

2. A tablet dispenser as set forth in claim 1, wherein said statorincludes a ported body part with a circular recess provided therein, anda ported circular stator disk fitting closely and nonrotatably in saidrecess with the ports of these two stator parts in register, the upperrotor having its peripheral edge portion slidably seating on the topsurface of said disk, the depression of the central portion of the topwall of said upper rotor causing said disk also to be held seatedresiliently in said recess due to the rotors being urged resilientlytoward one another.

3. A tablet dispenser as set forth in claim 1, wherein the peripheraledge portion of the upper rotor has a narrow flat bottom surfacedisposed in sealing slidable engagement on the top surface of saidstator, and the lower rotor has the top thereof recessed shallowly todefine also a narrow fiat top surface peripherally thereof disposed insealing slidable engagement on the bottom surface of said stator.

4. A dispensing device for aspirin or salt tablets or the likecomprising a vertical open-bottom magazine for the tablets, a horizontalbracket below and supporting and closing said magazine having a fiat topsurface in which an intermediate discharge port of slightly greater thantablet diameter and axial dimension is provided at a predeterminedradius from the center thereof having inclined ramp surfaces on saidradius extending circumferentially from opposite sides thereof on whichto guide a tablet into the port from either side, an upper rotary diskabove and a lower rotary disk below the center of said bracket inconcentric relation, each of said disks having a port provided thereinof the same diameter as said intermediate port and adapted to registertherewith separately whereby tablets may be conducted by gravity fromsaid magazine through the port in said upper disk to said intermediateport and then from said intermediate port out through the port in saidlower disk, and means vertically immovably connecting the centralportions of said disks positively preventing turning of one diskrelative to the other, the upper disk being hollowed out on its bottomto define a yieldable resilient top wall and a downwardly projectingperipheral edge portion slidably engaging the fiat top surface on saidbracket, the central portion of said top wall being depressed andimmovably connected with the central portion of the lower disk in thatcondition to insure a good seal at said peripheral edge portion, and thelower disk being enlarged in thickness to serve as an operating handlefor manual rotation of the upper and lower disks.

5. A tablet dispenser as set forth in claim 4, wherein the meansconnecting said disks to turn together includes an axial stern on one ofsaid disks of enlarged diameter rotatable in an axial bearing in thecenter of said bracket and having a flat side surface provided on theouter end thereof engaging a flat surface provided in one side of thecenter hole provided in the other of said disks whereby positively toprevent turning of said disks relative to one another, said means alsoincluding means attached to the outer end of the stem engaging thecentral portion of the last mentioned disk drawing said disks axiallytoward each other into tight sealing engagement with the top and bottomsurfaces on said bracket to seal the space in said magazine from theatmosphere regardless of which of the ports in said disks is in registerwith said intermediate port.

6. A tablet dispenser as set forth in claim 4, wherein the meansconnecting said disks comprises a cylindrical axial stem of enlargeddiameter on the lower disk extending upwardly through a bearing providedtherefor in the center of said bracket, and wherein the upper disk is ofmolded plastic material hollowed out on the bottom nearly the fulldiameter defining an upwardly arched thin top wall which is adapted tobe connected centrally with the upper end of said stern and which in sobeing connected is flexed downwardly and, being resilient, causes thelower disk to be pressed upwardly resiliently against the bottom surfaceof said bracket, and the upper disk to be pressed downwardly resilientlyagainst the top surface of said bracket, whereby to seal the space insaid magazine from the atmosphere regardless of which of the ports insaid disks is in register with said intermediate port.

7. In a tablet dispenser, the combination of a ported horizontal stator,upper and lower horizontal rotors seated on the top and bottom of thestator, respectively, and having ports which in certain positions of therotors register with a port in the stator, both of said rotors beinghollow on the side toward the stator so as to provide on each ayieldable resilient end wall with a peripheral edge 7 portion projectingtherefrom and slidably engaging the stator, and a shaft extendingthrough a hole provided in the stator and vertically immovably connectedat its opposite ends with the central portions of said end Walls withthe central portions of said walls depressed toward the stator so as tourge the peripheral edge portion of said rotors resiliently into closesealing eontaet with the stator.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS928,052 Hirsch July 13, 1909 8 Morrison Feb. 15, 1922 Elliott May 27,19.41 Bennett Oct, 14, 1941 Bailey Sept. 25, 1945 Gits Apr. 23, 1946Campbell Mar. 11, 1952 Topfer July 14, 1953 Lewis et al. Aug. 25, 1953Weir Mar. 17, 1959 'Worth Sept. 15, 1959

1. IN A TABLET DISPENSER, THE COMBINATION OF A PORTED HORIZONTAL STATOR,UPPER AND LOWER HORIZONTAL ROTORS SEATED ON THE TOP AND BOTTOM OF THESTATOR, RESPECTIVELY, AND HAVING PORTS WHICH IN CERTAIN POSITIONS OF THEROTORS REGISTER WITH A PORT IN THE STATOR, THE TOP ROTOR BEING HOLLOWAND HAVING A YIELDABLE RESILIENT TOP WALL WITH A PERIPHERAL EDGE PORTIONPROJECTING THEREFROM AND SLIDABLY ENGAGING THE UPPER SURFACE OF THESTATOR, AND A SHAFT FIXED WITH RESPECT TO AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROMTHE CENTER OF THE LOWER ROTOR THROUGH A HOLE PROVIDED IN THE STATOR ANDINTO A CENTER HOLE PROVIDED IN THE TOP WALL OF THE UPPER ROTOR ANDVERTICALLY IMMOVABLY SECURED TO THE LATTER WITH THE CENTRAL PORTION OFSAID TOP WALL DEPRESSED SO AS TO URGE THE PERIPHERAL EDGE PORTION OFSAID UPPER ROTOR DOWNWARDLY TOWARD THE LOWER ROTOR RESILIENTLY INTOCLOSE SEALING CONTACT WITH THE STATOR.